Appointment of Auditors

Seventy-eighth Council Meeting

Election of chairman and Council Members

Following the retirement of Albertino Abela as a Trustee at the AGM, Rohini Finch was elected the new Chairman of Trustees.

Albertino Abela, Dr Simon Lyster and Dr Nigel Simpson were elected as Council Members following their retirement as Trustees.

It was also agreed to invite Dr Lee Durrell as a new Council Member.

Admin and Finances

Management accounts for May 2010 were presented. While a revised projection indicated a potential shortfall against budget, income was above the previous year, and the final outcome was expected to improve further.

Projects Update and Budget

Prior to the AGM and Council Meetings, Conservation Programmes Manager Kirsty Burgess had made an illustrated presentation outlining the Programme highlights and achievements of the previous year.

Revised templates for the new Programmes Procedures were discussed and approved by the Trustees.

Restoration Ecology Programme

Swire Pacific Offshore: the project was approaching the critical stage of external validation, and a final decision was expected later in the year.

Knowledge exchange for African NGOs: A successful follow-up phase of workshops had taken place in May. The process had thrown up a number of possibilities for future development involving new potential partners and programmes.

New Programmes Partners

Proposals to approve two new programme partners were discussed: Nature and Culture International (NCI), operating in Andean South America and Mexico, and Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), operating in Armenia. Final decisions were held over to a future meeting when further information about the organisations involved would be made available.

Development

Donations from individuals were seen to be holding up well, despite difficult economic conditions, while strong relationships were being forged with major corporate supporters. Agreements had been signed with important new corporates, including The Body Shop,Howard Smith Paper Group and Eurojersey.

The success of the Chelsea Flower Show exhibit had cemented the Trust’s relations with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, major sponsors of the Trust’s exhibit. The tragic death of PWC’s Matthew Sugden, (Senior Manager Corporate Sustainability), a member of the Chelsea Flower Show Steering Committee, was deeply felt. PWC had agreed to fund a memorial bench at the Trust’s Kite’s Hill reserve.

Recent and forthcoming events

WLT's Atlantic Rainforest exhibit at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May had received a Gold Medal, and was awarded Best in Section (Continuous Learning).

Elephant Parade was generating considerable media coverage, and was expected to raise significant funds for the Elephant Corridor project through the auction of the elephants and related jewellery.

Sotheran’s are mounting a selling exhibition of hand-coloured John Gould prints featuring tropical birds, and in particular Toucans; a proportion of the profits will be donated to WLT’s Ecuador projects.

A donor symposium taking place in October in Amsterdam will bring together key donors and selected programme partners.